TOBACCO packaging has been developed to attract teenagers and children, according to a report.

TOBACCO packaging has been developed to attract teenagers and children, according to a report.

Cancer Research UK said its study reviewed industry documents from the last 50 years and claimed that some described how packaging had been developed to appeal to new smokers, notably teenagers, through its size, colour and design.

The Packaging of Tobacco Products report will be considered as part of a UK-wide consultation on whether cigarettes should be stripped of their branding and sold in plain, standardised packets.

The report was published today by the charity and the University of Stirling's Centre for Tobacco Control Research.

Cancer Research UK launched its The Answer is Plain campaign today, asking people to sign a petition to remove all branding from tobacco packaging.

It has released a video which shows a group of 10-year-old children discussing cigarette boxes, to illustrate how young people are affected by the different colours and designs.

Some of the children's comments include: "It makes you feel like you're in a wonderland of happiness", "It reminds me of a Ferrari", "Is that the Royal sign?" and "Yeah. Pink, pink, pink".

The charity said it held eight focus groups with around 50 15-year-olds in each, which found "clear differences" between boys and girls when asked to pick their favourite packs.

Vicky Crichton, Cancer Research UK's public affairs manager in Scotland, said: "In Scotland, 24 per cent of adults are smokers, which is higher than the British average.

"We know many Scots take up the habit young and this report shows that children are drawn to the colourful and slick designs without having a full understanding of how deadly the product is inside the pack.

"It's time to end the packet racket. Our research shows the value attached to packaging by the tobacco industry.

"Parents know first-hand that children are affected by marketing and branding, and when that marketing is attracting children to cigarettes, we need to give young people one less reason to start smoking."

Ovarian cancer survivor Rosa Macpherson, 55, from Alloa, started smoking at the age of 12.

The mother-of-one said she believes more needs to be done to prevent children taking up the habit.

Mrs Macpherson, who lost her husband George to cancer, said: "I can certainly remember as a child the impact that different cigarette packs had on me when I was starting to smoke.

"The cigarettes I picked were long and slim, elegant I thought, and presented in a glamorous-looking pack that fitted snugly in my handbag.

"But cigarettes are not toys or fashion statements. They turn your fingers and teeth yellow, are incredibly addictive and, ultimately, they kill people. They shouldn't be presented in a way that is attractive in any shape or form.

"Plain packaging will help to make cigarettes less noticeable and less important in children's lives, so I urge the government to make this happen as soon as possible. I don't want other families going through what mine has."

Professor Robert West, Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco research at University College London, added: "The research evidence is compelling that cigarette packaging is attractive to young people.

"Once the young person tries smoking, nicotine has a chance to do its work in turning him or her into an addict.

"Only a quarter of those who smoke for a year succeed in stopping before it starts to take years of their lives.

"Of course we can't be sure how big an effect preventing tobacco companies from using packing to attract smokers will have, but smoking is so dangerous that even a very small effect would save hundreds if not thousands of lives each year.

"When the tobacco companies complain about freedom to promote their 'legal' products, let's remember that if those deadly and addictive products were to be invented today there is no country in the world that would permit them to be sold at all."

However, Tory health spokesman and deputy leader Jackson Carlaw cautioned against the introduction of plain packaging.

Mr Carlaw said that smoking was still "the biggest public concern we have still in Scotland and the United Kingdom" but he said he did "not particularly support this measure".

The Conservative MSP said Scotland had passed legislation banning the display of cigarettes which is still being challenged in the courts and has not yet come into force

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland: "I think we should give the display ban a chance to work."

He also argued it would be "very instructive" to see if planing packaging is successful when it is introduced in Australia.

Mr Carlaw said he did not think cigarette packaging was "as attractive as everyone is making out".

He went on: "The concern with plain packaging I have is I think it could lead to a higher incidence of counterfeiting. That I am concerned about"

He insisted: "I think there is a huge issue with tobacco control and I want to see people not smoke. I simply don't buy the argument that what encourages young people to smoke in the first place is the packaging."